Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-03-18
SUPPLAnTlNG THE CAR STOVE.
Irrom The PhiladeIphla Nine. !

IFrom The Philadelphia Times.
Everybody is agreed that the
car stove is an abomlnation and
that it ought to 60. But somehow
the travelling public has been left
under the impression, so far as
leading railway officials could give
that impression, that no substitute
is possible (; that it the stove is not
used the passengers must freeze
when the weather is cold. Presi-
dent King, of the Erie Railway, in
a recent interview said
ITO save the life of one passen-
ger on the Erie / would consent TO
any expense, but the opportunity
is not given" This simply means, if
1t means anything, that President
King does not know of anything
that can be made to take the place of
the stove. President Sloan, of the
Lackawanna Road, says that he
suffers no consideration to stand
between his responsibility and a
coroner's inquest, but he learned
many years ago that there was
nothing better than stoves for heat
ing cars. Like the BourbOnS he
seems to have learned nothing new
since. President Depew, OF the
New York Central, and President
Smith, of the Vermont Central,
have been talking lately and both
seem convinced that the car stove
will have to continue its deadly
work for all they can do to prevent
it.
But is the assumption that there
is or can be no substitute for the
car stove true? 1t is well known
to those who are well informed that
it is not. The Dunkirk, Allegheny
Valley, and Pittsburg Road, con-
Meeting Dunkirk. n. Y, with
Titusville, Pa, has been heating
its cars with steam for four years.
This system, which an engineer
who runs one of the trains on that
road says requires steam pressure
of but five pounds even when the
thermometer registers from five to
twenty degrees below zero, is in
use on the Boston and Albany
Road and is about to be adopted
by the Cleveland, Columbus, Gin
cinnati, and Indianapolis and the
Milwaukee and st. Paul Railways.
The New York elevated cars are
also successfully heated by steam
from the locomotive boilers. The
successful use of steam on the
above.named roads effectually re-
flutes the assertion that Steamboat
Ing is impossible.
The claim is made by some that
while steam.heating may be a sue
cess on trains containing but three
or four cars it could not be employ
ed on the long trains run by the
trunk lines materially reducing the
supply of steam necessary to haul
the train. To this objection the
Northern Pacific Railway is about
making a practical answer. That
corporation is constructing an iron
car containing boilers for steam
and hot water and electric machin-
cry for lighting purposes. This
car IS to be attached to the train
Immediately in the rear of the en-
CINE and will furnish the steam
necessary for heating a long train
independent OF the locomotive
boiler. It's electric light apparatus
will also reduce the danger of fire
from the use of oil or gas and thus
render the chances of a confiagra-
ton In case of a wreck very remote
indeed. What the Northern Pa
ci6c can do in this respect any OF
the trunk lines may do. If the car
stove be not soon supplanted by
safer methods of heating, in view
of these practical demonstrations
of the feasibility Of the use OF
steam, it will be mainly because
the railway companies are not Will
ing to incur the expense necessary
to the introduction of a safe meth
cd.